International Love | Fred Weasley

Chapter 43

March hasn't been kind, days filled with rain and barely any sun, but on the first of April, the sun finally shows itself again. I'm the first one out of bed in the morning, ignoring the knowing looks on the faces of my roommates. After grabbing my bag and the presents for the twins, I make my way to the Great Hall where I sit down at the Gryffindor table.

Squeezing myself between Fred and George, I say: "Happy birthday to my favourite Gryffindor twins!"

After pressing a kiss on George's cheek, I hand him a bag. As George eagerly opens his present, I press a kiss on Fred's lips and hand him a bag as well. Fred copies George's eager behaviour as he tears apart the wrapping.

"Elena, this is awesome!" George says, looking up from his present to look at me with wide eyes. He shows her multiple vials with potions to the people around us and turns back to me, "This is exactly what we need for our newest product line. Some of these are rare and very expensive, how did you get a hold on them?"

I nudge the twins and laugh, "Having a Potion master as your uncle is useful after all."

Angelina and Lee snicker and I spot Katy sitting in my spot at the Ravenclaw table next to Diana. Turning back to Fred who is now holding a thick book, I smile at him.

"You shouldn't have done this, love, this is way too expensive for a birthday gift," Fred carefully places the book on the table, making sure none of the food gets too close.

I place a hand over Fred's and smile reassuring, "Over the summer I worked at Flourish and Blotts. Mr Fowler told me if I ever needed a specific book, he was happy to help out. Maika helped me pick this one out. We thought it was a good gift."

Fred pulls me in a hug and it isn't long before I feel George join in as well. Laughing, I push the two away again and receive another kiss from Fred. I reach for the coffee as the twins gush over their gifts.

"We'll be able to make so many products with these," George says and Fred nods. It doesn't take long before the conversation moves to their newest line of products and the other ideas they might be able to execute with the gifts. I accept the plate of scrambled eggs from Angelina and start eating breakfast.

"I understand you want to make new products, but we also have to think about our N.E.W.T.'s," I suggest which makes both boys laugh. Lee remarks, "Don't be such a Ravenclaw, we have enough time to make products and learn for our exams."

"Who said we were going to learn for our exams," George says while taking a bite of his breakfast. Fred nods, "Exams are bori– ow!"  

He looks at me and I smile at him. "Was that necessary?"

I laugh at Fred who rubs his side while muttering, "You're too violent. No wonder you became a Beater."

Leaning forward, I whisper: "You like it."

Fred grins and George lets out a puking sound which makes Lee and Angelina laugh. Once breakfast is done, we head to the dungeons.

"It's so unfair that we have Potions on our birthday!" George whines as we ascend the stairs. I snicker and he pouts at me. Before he asks, I shake my head. I can't help them with my uncle. In front of the Potions classroom is Diana who waves at me as we walk towards her.

"Happy birthday boys," Diana says to the twins who thank her. We enter the classroom where Snape is already standing in front of the blackboard. The classes of the morning go by quickly and during the free period after Charms I share with Fred, my boyfriend takes me by the hand and asks me to go with him.

"Where are we going?" I ask as Fred drags me by the hand through the castle. He ignores me and keeps walking until I start recognising the corridors we're walking through. The corridor is abandoned unlike the other ones we passed through and Fred smiles as he tickles the pear on the painting with the fruit bowl.

As soon as we enter the kitchen, we get swarmed by house-elves asking us how they can help. Fred orders tea and cake and I quickly change the order into a lemon cake, remembering the excellent cake me and my friends ate last year on my birthday. I assure Fred he'll like it. 

All the house-elves nod and spread out in the kitchen immediately. While the house-elves prepare our order, we sit down at one of the tables. Fred grabs my hands and smiles: "I wanted some privacy with you."

I roll my eyes at him but can't supress the smile forming on my face. It doesn't take long before the house-elves place the lemon cake and our tea on the table. Fred blows out the candles and we quickly cut the cake, each grabbing a large piece.

"What other presents did you get?" I ask Fred as I sip my tea.

Fred quickly starts listing the presents he and George got from Lee and Angelina, plus the ones from Ron, Hermione, and Harry, before ending with: "Mum sent us the usual, home-made caramels and another sweater."

"That's really sweet," I say and take a bite of the lemon cake, "I love my uncle, but his presents are always useful and never home-made." 

Fred laughs and offers, "You can have the sweater if you like, I mean, we have enough of them!"

The rest of the free period is spent in the kitchens before we head back to the Great Hall for dinner. Evelyn is waiting for me and after smiling at Fred and telling him he'll have to eat without me. Fred starts to protest but the girl ignores him and pushes me in the direction of the Ravenclaw table. I promise him we'll meet up after dinner before letting myself pushed into a seat at the Ravenclaw table where the rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team is already seated.

"We need to discuss the tactics for our Quidditch game this weekend," Roger starts as soon as I sit down, "We have been working hard this season, but we'll need to work even harder if we want to beat Gryffindor."

"And we do want to beat Gryffindor," I emphasize. The rest of the team looks at me and I nod, "It's of the upmost importance that we beat Gryffindor."

The rest of the week, most of my free time is spent listening to Rogers about our newest strategy. During our training session, the captain forces us to work even harder. After our final practise of the week on Thursday, I can barely lift my arms.

"I wouldn't have survived another ones of these," Fulton, our Keeper, complains. Tom groans, "Having to practise every day, Davies has lost his mind."

Cho and I head straight back to the common room instead of the locker room. I feel a tug of envy for the fact that Roger gets to use the Prefect's bathroom with the luxurious bath. Anna and Evelyn aren't in our room when I stumble in but Diana is sitting at her desk rearranging parchment. She smiles at me when I dump my broom on the floor and grabs some clean clothes.

I sleep like a baby that night and when I walk to breakfast the following morning, I bump into Fred and George. They both grin when they see me and I cross my arms. Narrowing my eyes, I ask: "Why are you two smiling like that this early in the morning?"

"Have you already forgotten about our bet, Dubos?" George asks, "Because we haven't."

"We heard from our reliable sources that Gryffindor is certainly going to win the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match tomorrow," Fred adds. The twins share a look and their grins only widen.

Rolling my eyes, I brush past them. After a few steps, I turn back around: "I suggest you recheck the reliability of those sources if I were you."

I turn back around and before I enter the Great Hall, I yell over my shoulder: "Get ready to work your asses off, boys, because us eagles are going to kick your lion ass in the pitch tomorrow!"